taking a break to talk about taking a break

[acroyear]

The Modern Vacation: Fully Wired, Totally Ruined | LiveScience:

An AP poll last year found that one-fifth of Americans tote a laptop on vacation. Countless more carry cell phones, many of which can be used to check company e-mail.

And why not? With wireless coverage extending, staying connected is simple. Recently, JetBlue Airways announced a trial of free e-mail and instant messaging services for passengers on one of its aircraft. Other airlines are expected to follow suit.

But there's a hidden cost to companies: employee burnout.

"Using work cell phones and checking company e-mail at the poolside is not a vacation," said Dov Eden, an organizational psychologist at Tel Aviv University. Eden studies the psychological effects of respites ranging from family trips to lengthy sabbaticals, including how they bring relief from chronic job stress.

I used to be "addicted to the 'net" on my vacations, immediately getting online as soon as I got back to the hotel after whatever it was I was doing, particularly on festival invasions and the like.  Fortunately, I learned, in the PNW tour of 2004 (where I brought everything BUT the power cable, and thus had a useless laptop), what it was like to be 'netless on vacation and quite liked it.  Since then, the vacations of 2005 (UK), 2006 (Disneyland and southern California), and 2007 (WDW) have all had minimal online time.  Though I had the laptop for "emergencies" (usually defined as trying to get directions to the next destination, or in the UK case, emptying the camera's memory card so we could keep taking pictures), it was otherwise rarely on at all.

And I think we liked it that way...

Comments

[queenmaggie.livejournal.com]

I actually use a little notebook to jot down thoughts and observations, to use when back, reporting on a trip. I'm too overwhelmed when traveling to try to figure out how to log on to anything anywhere. But then, I've always been a living in the moment sort of person.

[stori-lundi.livejournal.com]

I log in not to do work so much as to clear out my inbox with my personal e-mail. I'd rather not have to spend days sorting through mail as it's much easier to spend 5 mins clearing out the cruft.

And I think companies need to learn to let people go on vacation. I've never been required to check in while I'm on vacation but I've had enough crap happen at the last minute that I checked up on things while I was away to avoid a train wreck when I got back home. If my company had been more on the ball mananging my clients, I would have had back-up to either over me while I was on vacation or to tell my clients that I was away, nothing was critical and to deal until I got back.

[tchwrtr.livejournal.com]

When a previous boss insisted on having my personal cell phone number "in case of an emergency", I asked him to tell me what would constitute a techincal writing emergency that absoutely HAD to be handled that day, and coldn't wait a week or less for my return.

He never got my cell phone number.

I may take my laptop with me, but there's to work-related stuff on here. Over Thanksgiving we looked at pictures, and the Boy played with Tux Paint, and that was it. When we went to the Outer Banks I took it and it became our music for the week, and twice I went down to the Internet Cafe and checked email and the like. And that was it. Lately, when on vacation, as much as I like you people, I want to focus on what we're doing there. You see more sunsets that way.

[fiona64.livejournal.com]

Heh. I had a boss once ask me for the phone number of the hotel I'd be at in *London* "just in case something comes up." When I asked her what kind of emergency could possibly arise that would require a trans-Atlantic phone call to me, she dropped the matter.

[thelongshot.livejournal.com]

I can't say I'm much addicted to the net when I'm away from home. I guess that's from most of my vacations being Pennsic, where I'm away from most technology. But, even with more mundane vacations, I don't often go online unless I really need to. (For example, I needed to figure out what the deal with PTO was on the Cali trip so that I could complete my timesheet.

Considering that I can't really to my job unless I'm at my job right now, because I work in a cleared facility, there isn't much call for people to get a hold of me. Even when I wasn't, people don't usually need to contact me. Course, I believe vacations are vacations and that I shouldn't have to think about work while I'm on them.

[fiona64.livejournal.com]

I maintain that it's not really a vacation if you're checking office e-mail, etc. I took my cellphone to WDW only because my dad was having a health crisis. The laptop stayed home.

In fact, the last time the laptop went on vacation with me was January 2006, when I was at the Palm Springs International Film Festival and was blogging for those who couldn't be there. Otherwise, it would have stayed at home then too.

I'm completely with you on this one.

[voltbang.livejournal.com]

I take a laptop on vacation. On the other hand, it's been 5 years since I checked work e-mail from anywhere other than the office. If I were to play car wars on company time, I'd get in trouble. Until they let me play on the clock, I don't work off of it.

Computers are toys. I take toys with me when I go on vacation. The polls are missing a big detail if they assume that the only use for a laptop is work related.

[blueeowyn.livejournal.com]

We take a laptop. Often I have a 10 minute thing to do for the office on vacation. I can check in if I want to (they know not to expect it). Mostly it is for checking our personal emails, checking LJ, and writing drafts of write-ups (if I write them long-hand, I tend to take FOR EVER typing them in. If I email myself the day; I have something to work from and will cut-n-paste what I want. Since I blog for our memories on some of the vacations; I want that.

I still haven't written up the honeymoon because we didn't take the laptop (though I have some notes). I also haven't written up 2004 because of no laptop (I think) and being worried about Dancer for most of it (and not having the heart to write it up because of her).

In short, I agree with voltbang, the computer is a toy and goes for toy not work purposes.